Etienne Aubry stands as a noteworthy, if somewhat under-sung, figure in the vibrant Parisian art world of the mid-to-late 18th century. Active during a pivotal period of stylistic transition, his career reflects the shifting tastes from the playful exuberance of Rococo to the structured morality of Neoclassicism. Though his life was tragically cut short, Aubry produced a body of work that encompassed elegant portraiture, sentimental genre scenes, and ambitious, though less consistently successful, history paintings. His art offers a valuable lens through which to view the aesthetic and intellectual currents of pre-Revolutionary France.
Early Life and Artistic Formation in Versailles and Paris
Born in Versailles in 1745, Etienne Aubry was immersed from a young age in an environment steeped in artistic and royal patronage. His initial artistic training placed him under the tutelage of Jacques Augustin de Silvestre, a painter who, while perhaps not a household name today, was part of a lineage of artists serving the French court. Silvestre's influence likely provided Aubry with a solid foundation in academic drawing and painting techniques, essential for any aspiring artist of the period.
More significantly for his later development, Aubry also studied with Joseph Marie Vien. Vien was a crucial figure in the nascent Neoclassical movement in France. He had spent time in Rome, absorbing the lessons of antiquity and the Renaissance masters, and was instrumental in steering French art away from the perceived frivolity of the Rococo. Vien's studio was a crucible for the new style, and famously, he would later become the teacher of Jacques-Louis David, the undisputed leader of French Neoclassicism. Aubry's exposure to Vien's teachings undoubtedly instilled in him an appreciation for classical clarity, noble themes, and a more restrained palette, elements that would surface, particularly in his later works.
Emergence as a Portraitist and Academician
Aubry first made his mark on the Parisian art scene as a portrait painter. In 18th-century France, portraiture was a lucrative and highly respected genre, offering artists opportunities to capture the likenesses of the aristocracy, the burgeoning bourgeoisie, and fellow artists and intellectuals. Aubry demonstrated a talent for not only capturing a sitter's physical features but also for imbuing his portraits with a sense of personality and psychological presence.
His skill in this domain earned him recognition from the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture). In 1771, Aubry was officially received (agréé) as a member of the Academy, a significant step in any artist's career, granting him the right to exhibit at the biennial Salons. For his reception piece, he presented portraits, including the notable Portrait of Louis-Claude Vassé (1771), a sculptor. This work, and others from this period, showcased his refined technique, his ability to handle textures like fabric and lace, and his capacity for creating elegant and dignified representations. His early portraits often retained a certain Rococo softness and charm, reminiscent of artists like Jean-Marc Nattier or François-Hubert Drouais, though perhaps with a slightly more direct and less idealized approach.
The Shift Towards Genre Painting and Moralizing Themes
While portraiture brought him initial success, Aubry, like many artists of his time, was drawn to other genres. He increasingly turned his attention to genre painting – scenes of everyday life – a field that was gaining popularity and critical appreciation, partly due to the influence of Enlightenment philosophy, which emphasized sensibility, virtue, and the common human experience. Denis Diderot, a prominent art critic and philosopher, championed works that conveyed moral lessons and evoked emotional responses, often preferring them over purely decorative Rococo pieces.
Aubry found a particular affinity for sentimental and moralizing genre scenes, a vein masterfully mined by his contemporary, Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Greuze's depictions of family dramas, virtuous peasants, and poignant moments resonated deeply with the public and critics alike. Aubry adopted a similar approach, creating compositions that aimed to touch the viewer's heart and often carried an implicit didactic message. His paintings in this style were characterized by their careful composition, attention to domestic detail, and expressive figures.
One of his most celebrated genre paintings is L'Amour paternel (Paternal Love), exhibited at the Salon of 1775. This work depicts a tender domestic scene, likely a father with his children, emphasizing the virtues of family affection and responsible parenthood – themes highly valued during the Enlightenment. The painting was well-received, praised for its emotional sincerity and its departure from the more artificial graces of high Rococo art as seen in the works of François Boucher or Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Aubry’s approach, while sharing Greuze's thematic concerns, often possessed a slightly gentler, less overtly theatrical quality.
Another significant work in this genre is Les Adieux à la nourrice (Farewell to the Nurse), believed to have been painted around 1776-1777. This painting touches upon contemporary social customs, specifically the practice among upper-class families of sending infants to be wet-nursed in the countryside. The scene likely depicts the emotional moment of the child's return to the parental home or the parents' visit to the nurse. Such themes allowed Aubry to explore nuanced human emotions and comment subtly on societal practices, aligning with the period's growing interest in childhood and family dynamics, also explored by artists like Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin in his more tranquil domestic scenes.
The Allure of History Painting and the Roman Sojourn
Despite his success in portraiture and genre painting, Aubry, like many ambitious artists of the 18th century, harbored aspirations to excel in history painting. Considered the noblest and most challenging genre according to the hierarchy established by the Academy, history painting demanded erudition, compositional skill, and the ability to depict grand narratives from mythology, religion, or classical history. Success in this field was the ultimate mark of an artist's prowess.
This ambition was likely fueled by his training under Vien and the prevailing Neoclassical winds that increasingly favored serious, morally uplifting subjects drawn from antiquity. To further his development as a history painter, Aubry sought the traditional path: a period of study in Rome. Italy, and Rome in particular, was considered the indispensable school for any artist aspiring to the "grand manner." It offered direct exposure to the masterpieces of classical antiquity and the High Renaissance.
His journey to Rome was facilitated by the patronage of Charles-Claude Flahaut de la Billarderie, Comte d'Angiviller. D'Angiviller was the Director-General of the Bâtiments du Roi (Royal Buildings, Arts and Manufactories) from 1774 and played a significant role in shaping French artistic policy, actively promoting Neoclassicism and moralizing art. His support for Aubry underscores the official encouragement given to artists who aligned with these new aesthetic and ethical directions.
Aubry arrived in Rome around 1777. During his time there, he would have immersed himself in studying ancient sculptures, the works of Raphael and Michelangelo, and the paintings of 17th-century classicists like Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, both French artists who had spent much of their careers in Rome. The archaeological discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum were also electrifying the European artistic imagination, providing fresh, direct insights into Roman domestic life and art. These experiences undoubtedly deepened Aubry's understanding of classical forms, composition, and thematic content. He would have encountered other international artists in Rome, perhaps figures like Angelica Kauffman or Anton Raphael Mengs, who were central to the Neoclassical movement there.
Return to Paris and Later Works: The Unfulfilled Promise
Aubry returned to Paris around 1780, presumably eager to apply the lessons learned in Italy to his history paintings. The culmination of his Roman studies and his aspirations in this genre was Le Général Coriolan et sa femme (Coriolanus Bidding Farewell to his Wife), also known as The Parting of Coriolanus from his Wife and Family. This subject, drawn from Roman history as recounted by Plutarch and Livy, depicts the Roman general Coriolanus being persuaded by his wife Volumnia and mother Veturia not to attack Rome. It was a popular theme for Neoclassical artists, offering opportunities for depicting stoic virtue, familial duty, and patriotic sacrifice.
Aubry exhibited this large-scale history painting at the Salon of 1781. While it represented his most ambitious undertaking in the genre, critical and public reception appears to have been mixed. It did not achieve the resounding success he might have hoped for, perhaps struggling to compete with the increasingly powerful and dramatic Neoclassicism of artists like David, whose own Belisarius Begging for Alms had caused a sensation at the same Salon. It's possible that Aubry's interpretation, while competent, lacked the stark power or innovative compositional force that was beginning to define the cutting edge of Neoclassical history painting.
Tragically, Etienne Aubry's career was cut short. He died in Paris in 1781, the same year his Coriolanus was exhibited, at the young age of 36. His premature death prevented him from further developing his skills as a history painter or from potentially finding a more distinctive voice within the Neoclassical movement. It also meant that his oeuvre, while significant, remained relatively small compared to contemporaries who enjoyed longer careers.
Artistic Style: A Synthesis of Grace and Gravity
Etienne Aubry's artistic style is characterized by a gradual evolution from the softer, more intimate qualities associated with the late Rococo towards the clearer, more structured, and morally serious tenets of Neoclassicism.
His early portraits, while demonstrating keen observation, often possess an elegance and a delicate handling of paint that connect them to the Rococo tradition. He showed a sensitivity to his sitters, capturing not just their likeness but also a sense of their social standing and individual character. His palette in these works could be rich and varied, with attention paid to the luxurious textures of fabrics.
In his genre scenes, Aubry adopted a more narrative and emotionally direct approach. Influenced by Greuze, he focused on clear storytelling, expressive gestures, and compositions designed to elicit sympathy and convey moral lessons. The settings are often detailed domestic interiors, rendered with care to enhance the realism and relatability of the scene. While sentimental, his genre works generally avoid the excessive melodrama that sometimes characterized Greuze's paintings, opting for a more restrained pathos. His use of light and shadow in these works effectively highlights the emotional focal points.
His later history paintings, particularly Coriolanus, reflect his engagement with Neoclassical principles. Here, one sees an attempt at grander compositions, more idealized figures based on classical prototypes, and themes of civic virtue and stoicism. The drawing is more defined, the forms more sculptural, and the emotional expression more heroic, though perhaps not reaching the intensity of David or other emerging Neoclassical masters like Jean-Germain Drouais or François-André Vincent. Aubry's Neoclassicism seems to retain a certain gentleness, a lingering echo of his earlier sensibilities, which might have set him apart but also perhaps limited his impact in a field increasingly defined by dramatic force.
Contemporaries and the Artistic Milieu of 18th-Century Paris
Aubry worked within a dynamic and competitive artistic environment. Paris was the undisputed art capital of Europe, and the Royal Academy and its Salons were the primary arenas for artists to gain recognition and patronage.
In portraiture, he would have been aware of highly successful contemporaries such as Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, whose graceful and often flattering portraits of Queen Marie Antoinette and the aristocracy were immensely popular. Alexander Roslin, a Swedish painter active in Paris, was another prominent portraitist known for his dazzling technique and ability to capture the opulence of his sitters. Aubry's portraits, while accomplished, perhaps aimed for a slightly less ostentatious and more introspective quality.
In genre painting, Jean-Baptiste Greuze was the dominant figure, and Aubry clearly learned from his example. However, the legacy of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, who had passed away in 1779, still loomed large. Chardin's quiet, contemplative scenes of domestic life and his masterful still lifes offered a different model of genre painting, one focused on humble subjects and profound observation, less on narrative or overt moralizing.
The field of history painting was undergoing a significant transformation. While older masters like Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (who succeeded Vien as First Painter to the King) represented a more traditional, somewhat Rococo-inflected approach to grand manner painting, the tide was turning decisively towards Neoclassicism. Joseph Marie Vien, Aubry's teacher, was a key transitional figure. The real revolutionary force, however, was Jacques-Louis David, whose works like The Oath of the Horatii (exhibited 1785, after Aubry's death) would redefine history painting with their stark compositions, powerful political undertones, and uncompromising classicism. Other artists contributing to the Neoclassical wave included François-André Vincent and Jean-François Peyron, both of whom were David's rivals for preeminence. Aubry's efforts in history painting placed him within this evolving landscape, though his early death prevented him from fully navigating its challenges.
Legacy and Art Historical Assessment
Etienne Aubry's premature death at 36 undoubtedly curtailed his potential and limited his ultimate impact on the course of French art. He did not live to see the full triumph of Neoclassicism or the cataclysm of the French Revolution, events that profoundly reshaped the artistic landscape. Consequently, he is often overshadowed by contemporaries who had longer and more transformative careers.
Nevertheless, Aubry remains a significant artist for several reasons. His portraits provide valuable records of his time and demonstrate considerable skill and sensitivity. His genre paintings, particularly Paternal Love and Farewell to the Nurse, are important examples of the sentimental and moralizing tendencies in late 18th-century French art, reflecting Enlightenment ideals about family, sensibility, and virtue. These works resonated with contemporary audiences and contributed to the broader cultural shift away from Rococo aesthetics.
His foray into history painting, though not entirely successful, illustrates the ambitions of artists during this period and the powerful draw of classical themes and the "grand manner." His Coriolanus stands as a testament to his dedication to mastering the most esteemed genre, even if it did not achieve the lasting fame of works by David or Vien.
Today, Aubry's paintings are held in various museum collections, including the Louvre in Paris and institutions in North America. Art historians recognize him as a talented painter whose career exemplifies the artistic transitions of his era. He skillfully navigated the space between the waning Rococo and the ascendant Neoclassical styles, producing works that are both aesthetically pleasing and historically informative. While not a revolutionary figure, Etienne Aubry was a gifted and diligent artist whose contributions enrich our understanding of 18th-century French painting. His work serves as a reminder of the many talented individuals who contributed to the rich tapestry of art history, even if their names are not always the most celebrated.
